Bif Pow Oof: Ultra Street Fighter 4 Released

In my hazy role as news editor of Rock, Paper, Shotgun, I’d like for us to cover fighting games more. They’re fascinating systems of intricate parts I broadly understand enough to mention but fumble horrible trying to execute. “Attack priority, yeah?” I offer. “Invincibility frames? Leave it out bruv!” See, I skipped fighting games as a littlun, as a crone really have the time to teach myself from scratch, and as a serious business professional don’t want to fake it. Shame.

This third version of Street Fighter IV brings five ‘new’ fighters, four of whom last appeared in Street Fighter X Tekken. You’ll find stick-swinging soldier man Rolento, capoeira fighter Elena, Final Fight veterans Hugo and Poison, and a character who’s appeared before but is playable for the first time here, M. Bison’s pal Decapre. Also new stage backgrounds, balance tweaks, new ways to punch men, and so on. You know the drill: it’s a Street Fighter update.

Ultra arrives on PC a few months after its console release as Capcom had rushed that to make sure it was playable at this summer’s Evo competition. An upgrade from Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition costs £11.99 or, if you don’t have that, a bundle with the whole thing and oodles of costumes is £22.99. Reports say the netcode is a bit wonky right now, but Capcom are looking into it. And yes, it is free of Games for Windows Live.